As people know, I'm picking up my little ruby girl in anything between three and six weeks. As people may also know, I'm profoundly deaf. How should I approach the overnight thing with the new pup? With Holly (she was 12/13 weeks old) I simply settled her down in her dark, cosy nook under the stairs and left her. True, there were usually messes to clean up, but that's what the puppy pads were for. Also true, she learned to settle down and it's rare for her to fuss about being left at night or any other time- and even during teething, she was never destructive.

...but... nook under stairs is now a laundry room. When I had Holly, the house next to me (I live in an end terrace) was empty, so even if she did yap, it was no big deal. Now there's a young family living there, and while I doubt they could hear the pup yap, her crying might start Holly off, and I'm certain they'd hear that! :yikes

This is my possible solution:

Stop food and water around six. Let pup fall asleep- in her crate- in the living room with Holly and I. I usually go to bed late- if necessary (if she wakes up) I can take the puppy out before I go to bed. Then I'll put the crate into my spare bedroom (on the empty side of the house) and put the radio on in BOTH the spare b/r and the kitchen, where Holls is. Hopefully that will go some way to drowning dog/puppy noises from the other! I think realistically, moving the crate would wake the pup up, so may well end up taking her out then (around 2am) and then .... should I wake myself up several hours later? How do I prevent her from inadvertently being trained to expect me to come? Or should I just emulate as far as I can the setup I had for Holly? Or should I wake myself up at 7am (to let Holly out as well) and take the pup then?

Decisions, decisions!

Charleen

18th September 2006, 01:16 AM

Lisa_T - your plan may work. You'll have to find your puppy's routine. If your puppy is younger, it may need two potty breaks each night. It is nice of you to be thoughtful of your neighbors.

I just brought home a 13 week old puppy 6 days ago and he is only waking up once a night. Between 1 and 2 AM. Then the next time is between 5 and 5:30 AM. And that second time is fine, because I used to get up at 5:30 AM, so this isn't much different than my old routine.

I have one more idea to give you. The way I handle the puppy, is that he sleeps with me. I am a very light sleeper and he sleeps right next to me. When he starts wiggling or stands up, I know he is awake and I take him outside to pee. Then I take him back upstairs and we go back to sleep. The other dogs sleep in my bedroom too and they follow us downstairs and then back upstairs to sleep again. It seems to be working for us. But you have to be a light sleeper and know when the puppy is moving on the bed.

Lisa_T

18th September 2006, 01:20 AM

I'm a light sleeper alright, but would prefer not to start with the puppy on the bed- because eventually, she'll have to go with Holly in the kitchen, and I don't want her to get used to being with me! Besides, again, my bedroom is adjacent to the neighbours', and a squeak from the pup has a good chance of being heard through thin walls. I suppose I could warn them and let them know what's coming, and that it'll only be temporary.

Jay

18th September 2006, 06:12 AM

Have you thought about buying a baby monitor that is designed for deaf and hard of hearing parents. You can be alerted when the puppy cries by either vibrations or flashing lights. There are several companies here in the USA that sell baby monitors. I am sure you could find similar companies in Europe. Here is a link that I located
http://www.rnid.org.uk/information_resources/factsheets/equipment/factsheets_leaflets/?ciid=214991
J.

Lisa_T

18th September 2006, 06:13 PM

You know, that's a brainwave. I'm ashamed I didn't think of that one myself! :D

Jay

19th September 2006, 05:12 AM

Not to worry... I am an audiologist....It's what I do for a living. :D Glad to have been of help!
J.

selina

19th September 2006, 12:42 PM

I have always found that when I sleep our pups with our older dogs they settle a lot quicker than left on their own. It's a great time for the two dogs to bond. I have always done this and always had a full nights sleep, even though there is generally mess to clean up. But that seems to end pretty quickly because they copy the adult. But the baby monitor sounds like an excellent idea.
Good luck with it all. :D

Lisa_T

19th September 2006, 04:35 PM

I'll probably end up winging it the first couple of nights (I'm looking for a Snuggle Pup that won't break the bank- nearly £30?!) and then I plan on setting up the crate and pen up in the kitchen where Holly is. Does the puppy do best if it's within eyeline of the older dog?

I may yet end up getting the baby alarm but don't want to spend a lot of money for what will hopefully be only a couple of weeks of nights!